Foreign
by blueskiesahead
Summary: I did not belong in the world of shady trees and cool streams. Tawnypaw centric.
1. In The Beginning

AN: Because my public missed me

**AN: Because my public missed me.**

It is a half moon. The scents of the forest creep around me, matching my hurried pace. This was not my place. I am an outcast, a foreigner, an intruder. I do not belong in the world of shady trees and cool streams.

The thunderpath is worse at night. I watch a large monster rumble by, its fiery eyes staring me down as it rushes past.

"_Go home,_" it whispers.

I step onto the unfamiliar surface and _breathe_. The stench is overwhelming. That is I smell first. My eyes sweep the expanse of brittle grey before I cross. Too many tales in the nursery have ended with a cat dying on this trail.

In the middle of it, I smell something different. I smell pines and marsh, fresh and clean and open and _real_. It was new. It was different, foreign. I slowly exhale at the other side of the thunderpath. I stop. And breathe again.

I was home.

**AN2: A little oneshot about Tawnypaw going to ShadowClan. Please review. If you mindlessly add this to you favorites without reviewing, I will PM you and demand a review. So push the little button.**


	2. And Then There Were Two

AN: Chapter 2

**AN: Chapter 2! First off, I'd like to thank Crescentclaw, Little Black Inkblot, Tigerstripe, LadyCat 51, Grassyleaves, Crazy Flamie -211 Atoms Left, and Mushroom T. Thank you all so, so much for reviewing! Second, if you leave a review (which I'm hoping you will), I'll thank you with a reply and a review for one of your stories. Exceptions to this rule are found on my profile. So review! And finally, general disclaimers apply. Enjoy!**

I sat alone silently on the other side of the thunderpath. The sun was slowing rising in the sky, casting a pink glow that tickled the dewdrops on the pines. The dawn patrol would just be leaving the gorse tunnel back at ThunderClan, perhaps with my brother on it.

_They won't miss me,_ I tell myself. I won't be treated like crowfood there like I am here.

My ears prick at the sound of distant mews. I follow them. They grow louder as I approach, and the wave of scent hits me. ShadowClan. I recognize a few of the cats by sight from Gatherings. I stop for a moment taking in what each cat looked like. _If my father accepts me, they'll be clanmates._

My heart soars at the thought of being clanmates with cats who care nothing about who my father is. I picture myself play fighting with the youngest looking cat… sharing prey, hunting, being made warriors together…

I can almost smell their surprise when the patrol finally sees me. A ginger she-cat pushes her way to the front.

"What do you want?" she snarls, her bone white teeth glinting in the early morning sun. "This is ShadowClan territory." She scents the air. "You're ThunderClan. Leave now." She spits the last words out with a menacing snarl.

"Russetfur," a scraggly grey tom I hadn't noticed hovers by her shoulder, "She's too small to be a warrior. Let her explain herself."

I give a small, grateful nod in his direction. He looks back at me with kind eyes.

"I want to join ShadowClan," I mew, my eyes burning with fiery excitement, eliciting an undisguised look of surprise from Russetfur. The apprentice on the patrol looks at me like I just claimed to have fallen from StarClan.

"You're Tigerstar's daughter, aren't you?" the grey tom mews through squinted eyes. Where I expect to find hostility, I only find curiosity, and (maybe) warmth. "We'll take you back to camp." He promises. Russetfur looks annoyed that the gray warrior made the decision for her, but is too proud to show weakness to _ThunderClan._

We walk in silence. The only sounds are the birds in the trees and the wind in the pines as we pad along. I look at the cats in the patrol. Only Russetfur, the grey tom, and a ginger apprentice. The apprentice looks at me strangely, then thinks for a minute and looks shyly away.

The camp is shaded by pines and the gorse that surrounds it. I like it. It has a strangely warm feeling, despite the damp air and marshes. A huge tabby stands by the entrance, warily letting us pass when he sees me. He exchanges a few words with the apprentice before running to a white cat with black paws. He glances up from his prey and looks at the returning patrol, before dashing to a den in a hollow tree.

My father walks out of the hollowed tree, followed closely by the white tom. A few cats mew a greeting, which he returns with a thundering purr. Dark tabby fur blends with the shadows in the camp, and I feel a pang of homesickness. He looks like Bramblepaw. For a heartbeat my heart longs to go home. _This is my home now, __I tell myself__._

"Welcome, Tawnypaw," my father meows, pausing before adding in a whisper, "I am very proud of you."

I let out a long purr. The praise alone is more than I feel I received at ThunderClan. Tigerstar beckons me with a flick of his tail to the pine his den is in. I see him bunch his haunches, and, muscles rippling, leap onto a branch.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join beneath HighPine for a clan meeting," he yowls, his voice echoing around the camp. My fur tingles at the familiar words.

Most of the clan was already milling about the pine, obviously aware of my arrival. I spot the ginger apprentice who was on the patrol, whispering excitedly to a small brown tom only a bit larger than he is.

"Tawnypaw," Tigerstar mews solemnly, "Is it your wish to give up your life in ThunderClan to join ShadowClan?"

"It is!" I manage to squeak.

No going back now.

"Until you finish your apprenticeship," he continues, "You will be mentored by Oakfur." He finishes his sentence with a glance at the small brown tom.

The tom pads up, his eyes filled with both curiosity and wariness. We touch noses before retreating into the crowd.

"Tawnypaw! Tawnypaw!" a queen cries. The rest of the clan takes up her call, but I notice Russetfur and the black-footed tom remain silent exchanging short glances. Their stares scorch my pelt, but Tigerstar doesn't notice. I can see the pride burning in his dark eyes. For the first time I see him as a real cat, not an evil traitor, like in the stories the elders tell. And what they see me as.

"Blackfoot?" Oakfur mews to the white tom once the meeting is over, "Could I skip going on hunting patrol at sunhigh to show Tawnypaw around?"

Blackfoot stares at me for a heartbeat, then hesitantly gives a curt nod, but adds, "I want both of you on hunting patrols tomorrow."

"Thank you, Blackfoot," he meows, "Tawnypaw and I will go at sunhigh tomorrow."

I can almost feel the hostility and tension between the two toms, though Oakfur doesn't mention a dislike of Blackfoot as the camp fades into the distance. My mentor quietly points out good places to hunt as we walk along. "So you know where to go tomorrow." He points out.

"You remind me of Brackenfur," I mew before remembering he probably doesn't know who Brackenfur is.

The confused look on his face tells me that my assumptions are right.

"My old mentor," I explain, embarrassed.

"How so?" Oakfur asks, slowing down a little, surprised by this connection.

"You both are friendly," I meow, "And you're both brown. And you're always nervous, like the leader is going to swoop down and choose another mentor for your apprentice." I let out a purr to let him know I'm not trying to make him feel uncomfortable.

"I've never had one before," Oakfur mumbles.

I twitch my whiskers understandingly, before adding encouragingly, "You're doing fine. I'm sure Bramblepaw would be jealous."

He recognizes that name, and after that, I feel as though my mentor has a kind of confidence that wasn't there before.

"Here we are," Oakfur mews, gesturing with his tail, "This is where we'll come for battle training."

A clearing springs out of the gloom at us. Pine needles cover most of the earth, and tall, green pines cast dark shadows over the forest floor. I glance at Oakfur, and see an almost wistful look in his eyes, as though he is remembering all the time he spent training here.

I tenderly set one paw down on the pine needles that cover the floor of the clearing. _It's so soft!_ I think, and I eagerly bring my other three paws onto the pine needles. If I ever walk on clouds, this is how I expect it to feel.

"Soft, isn't it?" Oakfur purrs, joining me on the needles, "I was thinking we could join Jaggedtooth and Rowanpaw for training here tomorrow at dawn. How does that sound?"

"Great." I nod softly, still looking in awe at the clearing.

"Come on," Oakfur meows, "It's time you saw your new home."

**AN: Gah! Done! Grassy Leaves did so many edits to this chapter, but they made it about 100x better than before. This chapter is over 1,000 words, which is more than I've ever written. I feel accomplished. On to Chapter 3! Woohoo!! Reviewing makes the world go round, so be sure to push the little button! P.S. I changed Oakheart to Oakfur. Sorry about that! Cookies to everyone who noticed!**


	3. Friends

AN: Many, many, many thanks to Mushroom T, who convinced me to continue and gave me ideas, names, and support

**AN: Many, many, many thanks to Mushroom T, who convinced me to continue and gave me ideas, names, and support. Come check out the forum we run together, Warriors Miscellany! It's lots of fun, with in-depth discussions, dance parties, and randomness!**

I watched the moon rise through the leafy roof of the apprentice den. It has been four sunrises since I came to ShadowClan, and already I feel as though I was born here. Oakfur has already shown me how to hunt frogs, and tomorrow he promised we would work on our fighting skills.

"All cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the High Pine for a Clan meeting!" Tigerstar's voice shook the clearing, and already I could hear complaints from some of the other cats.

"Fine time to hold a meeting," Rowanpaw mumbles, blinking his eyes to adjust to the dark.

"Next thing you know, he'll have us chasing flying hedgehogs at moonhigh," Cedarpaw snorts, leaping into the air as if he too can fly.

Grasspaw, a small, light brown tabby, nods her head in agreement, before adding, "I'm sure it has to be important if he called the meeting so late."

"What do you think it's about?" I ask.

Her only response is a shrug, but my heart leaps a little when she beckons for me to sit next to her. "_A friend_," I think.

"Cats of ShadowClan," Tigerstar thunders, his eyes casting a fiery light that illuminates the sleepy cats gathered below him, "Tonight, we meet with Leopardstar and a small patrol, as the two of us agreed at the last Gathering."

Cheers come from the crowd, Blackfoot and Russetfur yowling the loudest of all.

"But not for battle." Tigerstar's voice cuts through the cheers like a claw, and even a deaf elder could have heard a mouse bone drop.

"What?" Jaggedtooth screeches, breaking through the deathly silence that has fallen over the camp, "Then why did you wake us up?"

"I have a plan," my father explains, "that Leopardstar expressed a particular interest in. We agreed to meet at Fourtrees tonight. And I want to take a patrol to Fourtrees with me."

Jaggedtooth, after casting one last defiant glance around the gathered cats, resigns to sit by Oakfur and Tallpoppy, a friendly queen who never grouses about wet moss like all the others do.

"For the patrol, I want Blackfoot, Stumpytail, Boulder, Darkcloud, and Tawnypaw," Tigerstar mews, names dripping off his tongue like honey.

Rowanpaw, Cedarpaw, and Grasspaw all shoot me jealous glances. I barely notice, and feel a wave of pride and happiness sweep over me. I am sure Firestar never would have chosen me for such an honor.

As we pad out of the entrance, I pass Oakfur. His eyes are warm and friendly, encouraging and proud, and I hear him let loose a purr. For some reason, his rusty, rumbling purr sends warm shivers up my spine, and makes me feel as though I swallowed a living fish.

"Come on, youngster," Boulder mews, cuffing me on the back of my head, "And be sure to keep your eyes on the path instead of back at the camp." He was right; the path was rocky, and hard to pad across unless you paid attention.

We walk on, leaving the warm, familiarity of the camp behind for a cold, unfeeling labyrinth of pine trees and mud. Soon, only Tigerstar walks on proudly, the rest of us tired and hungry.

"Why are we going at night?" Darkcloud moans, paws, normally graceful and lithe, looking heavy with exhaustion.

Tigerstar offers a glare in reply, as Boulder and I snake up to her.

"It's a secret," Boulder meows quietly, eyes glancing up at Tigerstar, "Firestar and Tallstar aren't to know about this until the next Gathering."

Darkcloud's amber eyes grow wide, like she's a kit in the nursery that's just heard an unbelievable elder's tale.

Silence reigns over us as Silverpelt twinkles above. It isn't long before we reach the slope that leads to the Thunderpath. My heart sinks. The last thing I want to do this late is cross it. I watch Tigerstar get a fox length, a tail length, a rabbit hop away, until he veers so sharply to the left it shocks me that he doesn't fall over.

Continuing along the slope, we soon come to a bridge that carries the Thunderpath over a small stream. There's a wide space on either side of the creek, which Tigerstar steps on to and walks down until he's on the other side. I groan.

"What's wrong?" Boulder asks, coming to stand beside me at the entrance to the tunnel.

"I only wish I had known about this earlier," I huff, starting through the tunnel to the other side.

Boulder purrs in amusement, and by the time he's done, we're through the tunnel and in ThunderClan territory.

ThunderClan. It feels so strange, so surreal, to be here as an outsider. I imagine for a second that Brackenfur is soon going to find me missing, and that he's going to have a fit trying to find me. My mother, Goldenflower, would help.

I push these thoughts back, glancing around the patrol. This is my family now. I have chosen my future.

We pad to Fourtrees silently. Our patrol is hushed, aware of the consequences if we are caught. I see a golden she-cat sitting atop the Great Rock as we approach, with a blue-grey tom sitting beside her.

"Leopardstar. Stonefur," Tigerstar greets the two as our group draws near. I notice a few other warriors are clustered around the RiverClan leader and her deputy. One young she-cat pokes her head out from behind the rock.

"Hiya!" she mews excitedly, "I'm Featherpaw! What's your name?"

"Featherpaw," Stonefur growls, "I suggested to Leopardstar that you come on the condition that you _behave_."

"Sorry, Stonefur," Featherpaw mews, flattening her ears, before adding to me, "See you at the next Gathering?"

"Apprentices," Boulder mews to the deputy, rolling his eyes. Stonefur nods in agreement.

"Hey!" I cry, "That's not fair!"

"Warriors," Featherpaw whispers, exasperated, and together we purr. I decide Featherpaw is also a friend.

I glance towards Tigerstar and Leopardstar, who are huddled together with Blackfoot and Stonefur on the Great Rock. It makes me wonder what they're talking about.

Abruptly, though, they end their meeting, going their separate ways. Tigerstar rounds us up with a flick of his tail, leading us into the bushes that surround the clearing.

Featherpaw looks back at me, and I look back at her.

"Friends?" she meows over her shoulder.

"Friends."

**AN: Another short chapter, I'm afraid to say, but I prefer things that way. Thanks again to Shrumie and Grassy, for helping build this story with me. Without them, it would be a pile of gobbledygook.**

**And another plea for anyone here to go check out the forum I run with Mushroom T, once she gets that little code thingy.**

**Well, that's all, folks!**

**Blues**


	4. Company Has Come

AN: Started this during my free time

**AN: Started this during my free time. First few weeks of summer for me, so I figured I'd make the most of it and get tons of writing done. Once again, don't own Warriors**.

--

"You're going on patrol at sunhigh," Blackfoot announces to Oakfur and I, eyes darting around the clearing, "Find a few cats to take with you. And see if you can scrounge up some fresh-kill. The pile's looking a little scrawny."

"Alright," Oakfur mews, "Can you spare Jaggedtooth and Rowanpaw?"

"You'll be going as well, Blackfoot," Tigerstar growls, padding across the clearing to join our little group. His sudden appearance frightens me. I would never have guessed so large a cat could walk so silently.

"But Tigerstar-"

"I'm expecting guests."

"RiverClan?"

"No. But treat these cats as you would Leopardstar."

The words leader and deputy exchange are short and clipped, urgency coursing through their words. Blackfoot bows his head silently to Tigerstar, acknowledging his instructions.

"Who are they? And why-," Oakfur's meow is suspicious and questioning, but one sharp glare from Blackfoot silences him.

"All in good time Oakfur," Tigerstar responds amiably, "All in good time."

--

Oakfur, though put out for a while over not being able to lead the patrol, was quickly placated by the volunteer of Darkflower to join us. Something about her coming made me furrow my brow. Maybe it was the way she interrupted every time Oakfur tried to teach me something.

Not that there was much to do. I had been on patrol on ShadowClan territory at least five times, giving me an acceptable knowledge of the territory, and no one wanted to attack us- yet. Rowanpaw practices stalking as we walk along, and Jaggedtooth and Blackfoot engage in half-hearted small talk. The trees cast long, narrow shadows across our prickly path, and I feel grateful I'm not in WindClan. There is no shade there, and today is hot enough to scorch my pelt, even in the cool of the forest. The damp squish of the ground beneath my paws is also reassuring. Thank StarClan that ShadowClan lives in the swamp.

I vainly wish for the cool streams and shady trees of ThunderClan. I remember splashing a little in the creek with Bramblepaw not long ago. The water was so cool, and the air was so hot… "Tawnypaw," Oakfur starts.

"Why don't you go see if there's any prey in that brush?" Darkflower cuts in sweetly.

"Good idea," Oakfur says, looking taken aback.

I stalk off mutinously into the bushes. What right did she have to tell me what to do? I storm through the brush, kicking at pine needles, snarling at wildflowers. Nothing can take me out of this mood, I decide, not training with Oakfur, not playing with Grasspaw, not even a comforting lick from Goldenflower.

"Where's that camp?" a voice growls from nearby. I freeze. Intruders!

"Patience, Bone. Tigerstar promised that a patrol would meet us."

Slowly, I step out into the clearing, and come face to face with five of the meanest, toughest looking cats I've ever seen. They're skinny and lean, but their claws look shaper than that of a normal cat. I see they wear collars, but I'm near enough to see the teeth dangling from the bands, glinting in the half-light of the clearing.

"Hello."

I whip around to see a small black tom staring at me coldly. The ice in his voice alone is enough to freeze me over. I don't mean to, but soon I'm down in a fighting crouch and baring my teeth. I can barely register the growl that rises like bile in my throat…

The tom laughs, licking one of his dainty white paws.

"I'm not going to fight you," he purrs, but something is wrong with his purr, causing it to come out like a growl.

"Are you the patrol?" a huge white tom steps forward, and if it were darker, I probably wouldn't have been able to tell him apart from Blackfoot.

"I'm on it," I reply shakily, eyeing the tom's claws, "The patrol, I mean. I'll go get the others."

Before they can even answer, I dart off into the bushes. Wind and thorns claw at my pelt, but my paws refuse to stop. I hear the breeze whistle in my ears, singing to me louder than the cocky jay, sweeter than the humble thrush.

"Oakfur!" I cry, "Oakfur! Jaggedtooth! Blackfoot!"

"Wha-"

I barrel into Rowanpaw, and together we tumble across the forest floor before coming to stop at Blackfoot's paws.

"What's wrong with you?" Jaggedtooth sneers, "You look as though you just saw Brokentail's spirit!"

"Yeah!" Rowanpaw adds, imitating his mentor's lofty mew.

"It's the guests Tigerstar told us about!" I pant, "They're in that clearing over there!"

Blackfoot pulls himself up to his full height and beckons the rest of the patrol over with a simple, jaunty flick of his tail.

The guests, though, have already made their way towards us, and I see Blackfoot and the small tom talking to each other in hushed mews.

"-need to talk to Tigerstar," I hear him say in a low whisper, "It has to do with his plans for the forest."

"Of course," Blackfoot murmurs, before adding loudly, "Follow us!"

--

As soon as the patrol returned, Darkflower ran straight to the nursery to share news of the guests with Tallpoppy.

"Typical Darkflower, I think, rolling my eyes a little, "Always one to gossip." I have nothing against Tallpoppy, But Darkflower? She has to be even more irritable than One-eye sometimes.

"Tawnypaw!"

I look a second too late. Grasspaw is running towards me full throttle and takes a flying leap, pouncing on me and holding me down.

"Well," she prods, "What are they like?"

"Okay, I guess," I reply, getting up and shaking dirt and leaves from my pelt, "It's just…"

"What?

"The little one. There's something wrong with him."

"Looks fine to me."

"That's not what I meant," I cut in, "There's something strange about him, and the way he talks… he's really creepy."

"You're just saying that," Grasspaw soothes, "How 'bout we go talk to that young tabby over there? I can see him eyeing us!"

"You're just teasing yourself," I growl, but it turns to a purr soon enough.

Grasspaw didn't listen to me. How could I tell? Not two heartbeats after I'm done talking, and she's already sashaying up to the tom.

"Hey," she purrs, "I'm Grasspaw. What's your name?"

"Night."

"That's nice," she mews dejectedly, before adding brightly, "So where you from?"

Sometimes, I swear a thunderstorm couldn't even dampen Grasspaw's spirits. Two sunsets ago, she was supposed to go hunting, but there had been a thunderstorm. So where was she on this stormy night? Stalking prey that she couldn't see through the heavy rain. It was only a case of the sniffles, so Runningnose was able to cure her quickly. He should use the same cure on himself.

"Town," Night replies flatly, snapping me out of my memories.

"What's a town?" Grasspaw asks, puzzlement shining in her eyes.

"Twolegplace," Boulder calls as he walks by.

"Who are you, anyway?" Night sounds both disgusted and curious at the same time. Curious combination, I know, but I remember feeling the same way over a flea I had to pick out of Smallear's pelt once.

"Grasspaw!" she mews, brushing her pale grey tail over Night's flank. His wince is visible and obvious. Grassspaw ignores it.

"Want to go talk over there?" she says, flicking her head over towards the entrance of the camp.

"O-okay," Night replies.

"Great! Tawnypaw, want to come?"

"You guys go ahead. I'm going to get something to eat." I wasn't going to spoil Grasspaw's time.

I padded across the clearing towards Boudler, who seemed to have made a point to stay as far away from our guests as possible. I see the fear and frustration shining in his eyes as I approach.

"What't wrong, Boulder?" I ask.

"BloodClan," he growls, glaring at the dug out area beneath the HighPine where the leader's den is. And where Tigerstar, Scourge, and Bone were talking.

"They're a clan?" This is news to me. I had thought that only four Clans existed. It never occurred to me that there might be others.

"No," he mews bitterly, "They're a bunch of rogues who live their filthy, flea-bitten lives under the leadership of the strongest fighter."

"The big one?" I ask.

"No. The little one."

"Night? But he has to only be about eight moons old!"

"Not him. Scourge," Boulder says, "The black tom with the white paws."

"You're pulling my tail. That cat," I snort, "Is the size of a kit."

"And he could still rip Bone into a million pieces," Boulder replies mildly, before quickly adding, "The big one."

This certainly is prey for thought. A clan built on blood and violence, led by a cat that could pass of, at the most, as an apprentice. If Scourge really is the fearsome fighter Boulder claims he is, I'll have to see it to believe it. Bone, on the other paw, looks much more threatening. But there was something to Scourge's iciness… something… sinister… I knew we hadn't seen the last of them.

"Darkflower, Oakfur, Blackfoot, Jaggedtooth, Russetfur, Cedarpaw, and Grasspaw," Tigerstar's voice echoed across the clearing, casually listing the cats selected to attend tonight's Gathering.

"Better luck next time, Tawnypaw," Cedarpaw taunts as he walks towards the entrance of the camp. The cats who have been selected have already positioned themselves at the entrance, leaving Grasspaw and I sitting at in the center of the clearing.

"Don't worry," Grasspaw assures me, "I'll tell you everything that happens."

"Grassy?"

"Yeah, Tawny?"

"Could you say hi to someone for me? Featherpaw from RiverClan?"

"Sure," Grasspaw purrs, "Besides. Stormpaw is from RiverClan. I want to see if there's anything strange with him."

"Why?" I knew he was Graystripe's son, but I hadn't heard anything strange about Stormpaw.

"He's half-clan," she replies, as if it's obvious, "And half clan is different."

"Hey, mousebrain! I'm half clan!"

"You're different," Grasspaw replies, looking confused, "You're Tigerstar's daughter."

**AN: Shrumie, your resurrection chants worked. Chapter 4 is now up! The great outdoor spaces of my fam's Fourth o' July vacation really contributed to the description in this chapter. Thanks a bundle to everyone who reviewed the first three chapters!**


End file.
